


The promises of a soldier

by MarvellousPinecone



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU where your soulmate's last words are tattoed on your skin, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Clara's mother's death, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 06:32:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18805654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvellousPinecone/pseuds/MarvellousPinecone
Summary: Clara always knew she was in for a dramatic story.





	The promises of a soldier

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language so bear with me. Grammar/spelling/punctuation corrections are appreciated.

Clara always knew she was in for a dramatic story. The words "I had promises to keep" written in a stern compact handwriting on her wrist implied some movie-like tragedy. What kinds of promises kill you after you declare them to the love of your life?

When she was younger she often fantasized about that scene. Maybe, they will be a gangster, Clara thought. She imagined vividly dark warehouse or a street or a car park where she and her boyfriend, or girlfriend or just total stranger (yes, that would be even more dramatic) hide from their enemies from another gang. Clara's soulmate owes them something, or maybe they took an oath, or maybe they just promised to protect Clara at all costs. They say those exact words, kiss Clara, take their gun and go out to their death. Sound of shooting. And curtain falls.

It all didn't seem real to her. With all people she dated, she tried to imagine them saying that. Keeping promises till the very end. It never fitted.

For her father it was much more real, she thought. Short "Help me" on his wrist was simple and common enough to send shiver down his spine every time Ellie needed to open a tight jar or figure out a pop quiz answer. And when she drowned one summer after shouting, and then saying, and then whispering those words, when Clara was only nineteen, it still was shocking and unexpected and broke her father's heart.

***

Doctor seemed the exact type of a person to be both brave and stupid enough for such last words. Clara wasn't sure about her feelings for him and didn't mind some platonic-but-actually-filled-with-unresolved-romantic-tension kind of soulmateship. Although when Doctor showed her his clean wrist and explained that Time Lords didn't have soulmates, definitely not among humans, she sighed with relief.

And quite on the contrary Danny didn't seem to be this kind of person at first. Clara thought that dating him would just be something to distract her from the danger of her travels, to keep her to the ground. Only later she realised how deeply she really loved him, so deeply that she asked him about his words.

“That's why I changed my name,” he explained when Clara traced with her finger the ink-black "Danny" on his wrist, “Apparently, the destiny didn't want me to be Rupert. I couldn't have my soulmate to call me by a wrong name, could I?” 

“I can't even imagine the dread you must live in.” 

She showed him her own wrist. And by the way he frowned and didn't say anything she knew. She definetly knew he was the person to keep his promises till his last breath.

***

“He was crossing the road. I found the phone, it must have just got thrown. The car, it just came out of nowhere.” The voice of an old woman uttered impossible things.

No, Clara thought as she ran to the street corner where police was already taping the scene off. No, it couldn't happen, she cried holding bloodied Danny's head. Having "I love you" on her wrist would surely be equally dramatic, but it wasn't her story. He couldn't die without saying Clara's words, because he was her soulmate, of course he was, he had to be.

Clara knew who could help her with it. Who could fix it. And that someone owed her.

***

And that was the end. The real proper end. Danny was dead and mutilated and standing here and holding her. The Doctor was talking, of course he was. Love is a promise. And Danny will burn. The fire will soot his metal case and crumble his dead skin. Any moment now.

“This is a promise. The promise of a soldier! You will sleep safe tonight.” 

And that's it. Wrong words again.

***

Clara knew she should be devastated. Because Danny clearly wasn't her soulmate. Because he died and then died again. Because she knew that last thing she said to him was "Goodbye, Danny", and it would totally be on his skin as a whole phrase, right? And someone else was meant to be with him in his last moments, and his promises were about something boring and mundane, to some collegue or friend who saw him last.

But Clara felt hopefull. The Doctor told her about Missy's bracelet. Danny's words, his last words. They were a riddle for her, double meaning. She knew Danny must return to her, because he knew his script and had to come back, and live a life with her, and say what he was meant to say in his last moment. She knew it and she waited.

And the quiet voice in the night didn't come unexpected.

“Just one trip. One trip, one person,” the voice told her.

Clara didn't understand at first. She quickly and easily convinced herself that small skinny silhouette belonged to Danny.

“Danny!” she called, forgetting everything.

It wasn't Danny. He was explaining something from behind the border between worlds, but Clara didn't hear. The boy looked lost, as if he woke up after a very long nap and wondered what time it was.

“I'm sorry, Clara.” Danny's voice trembled. “I truly am.” He was crying. “I had, I had promises to keep.”

The heavy bracelet fell from boy's thin hand.

At least, Clara thought, the soldier really did keep his promises.


End file.
